1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to digital still and video cameras and communication systems, and more particularly to a communication device providing a communication interface between a digital camera and a network system.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Portable digital cameras are generally treated as PC peripheral devices. With conventional digital cameras, a user takes pictures until the camera memory/disk is filled and then downloads the digital image data to a PC. The camera needs to be either connected to the PC, for example through a cable, or a removable storage device such as a PCMCIA card must be manually transferred from the camera to the PC. The need to regularly make a direct, physical connection to a PC reduces the portable nature of digital cameras. In addition, downloading images to a PC is a local operation. In order to move,images into the internet, the user must apply another set of commands on the local PC. Such a system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,475,441 by Parulski et al. Cameras are also incorporated into integrated systems for displaying an image, such as a visual surveillance system in a retail store. U.S. Pat. No. 5,444,483 by Maeda discloses a system including a digital camera with processing circuitry for display on a television screen.
Another limitation of conventional digital cameras is that there is no direct way to identify an image once it is loaded onto the PC. Additional information must be added manually, such as operator name, account number, camera of origin, etc. Also, there is no way of securing the images to assure that an operator does not alter them once loaded into a PC, or that the images will not be viewed by an unauthorized person as part of the transmission of the images from the PC to a remote location.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus to serve as an interface for enabling a user of a portable still and or video digital camera to send image data directly from the camera to a communication network for transmission and downloading to a remote network location or remote computer.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an apparatus enabling a user of a conventional digital camera designed to only download directly to a PC, to send camera data directly from the camera to a communication network for transmission and downloading to a remote network location or remote computer.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide an apparatus that performs operations to secure the camera data against unauthorized use during transmission through an insecure communications network, and storage in an otherwise unsecure remote destination.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for downloading image data from a variety of digital cameras to a remote computer through a selected communication network by means of an interface selected from a group, including but not limited to a modem, an ethernet adapter, a router, a hub, or infrared and other wireless connection.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus that can receive and encrypt and/or mark image data from a camera and transmit the encrypted/marked data to a remote computer.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus that can receive image data from a camera and transmit the data to a remote computer along with additional annotation data including but not limited to time and date, user information, location information, and camera information.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for connecting a digital camera output to a remote computer, the apparatus being responsive to a Smart Card to program the apparatus and the camera, and to allow an authorized user to operate the apparatus.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for use with a digital camera, that can control the camera by means of programming, or in response to information/direction from a remote computerized destination.
It is another objective of the present invention to provide an apparatus for use with a digital camera, that can be programmed by a PC using the same interface on the apparatus that would later be used to communicate with the camera.
It is a still further objective of the present invention to provide a still and or video digital camera capable of downloading image data to a remote computer through a selected communication network by means of an interface selected from the group including but not limited to a modem, an ethernet adapter, a router, a hub, or infrared or other wireless connection.
It is another objective of the present invention to provide a digital camera, and a device for use with a digital camera, that automatically performs operations dependent on camera or device programming, or in response to information/direction from a remote computerized destination.
Briefly, a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a communication device for interconnecting a digital camera to a communication network for downloading data to a remote computer. The device has a network communication port for establishing communication with a network via a pre-defined protocol and communication mode, and has a camera communication port such as a serial, parallel, SCSI, USB or Irda-port that imitates the back end application of a PC, for connection to a digital camera for sending and receiving data to and from the camera. The camera communication port is also used for input of programming and setup data to the communication device from a PC. The device can be programmed to operate on the data directly, such as in the case of data for storage or operational direction, and/or direct the data to the camera. The device may also have a Smart card socket into which a user can insert a card to input data, such as user and camera I.D., user authorization, image marking, camera operational parameters, remote computer/destination address, etc. The device can be programmed to perform encryption, authentication, watermarking and fingerprinting procedures, as well as structuring the data for transmission over a particular network, and to automatically perform operations, such as at specific times or in response to data input.
An advantage of the present invention is that a digital camera user can download image camera data to a remote computer or network site and therefore avoid the concern of the need to connect the camera or its removable device to a local computer in order to perform such operation.
Another advantage of the present invention is that it gives the camera user the capability of automatically securing the camera data, for example by encrypting or marking the data prior to sending it over a communication system and downloading it to a computer.
Another advantage of the present invention is that it adds functionality to cameras that are not designed specifically to perform the task of connection to a remote network.
A further advantage of the present invention is that it provides an apparatus with a connection to a camera that is programmable for customized operations.
Another advantage of the present invention is that it provides an apparatus that enables a user to send data from a digital camera through a network to a plurality of destinations of a variety of types, such as network printers and remote archives.